Welcome to the K-2 section of the Canada Games Catch the Spirit (CTS) Program!
In this section, you'll find engaging activities designed to help young learners achieve important learning outcomes. Our activities are thoughtfully crafted to provide a straightforward and enjoyable learning experience. You can tailor your lessons to best suit your students' needs by selecting from the categories below.
You can activate each pillar by playing the National Anthem O Canada to encourage unity.
Be sure to complete at least one activity in each of the five pillars to maximize your students' learning experience.
Invite your class to listen to one or all of these books about ‘Games’ and ‘Sports’
Brady Brady and the Ball Park BarkKid Coach - WrestlingSally Sore Loser - Winning and Losing in SportAdditional options:
Master book list for K2 sports and teamworkCreate a new cover/scene that could be used in any book above and make a class display or colour the attached outline of Gusty and add to the display as well. Feel free to do both!
The BIG BOLD BOOK COVER or COOL NEW SCENEDesign a pal for our 2025 Canada Games mascot Gusty and include a sport being played, and/or act out a scene of you and Gusty watching and cheering for a summer Games sport. Pick a pal to play Gusty or take turns and post lots of pictures.
Show us a video of your favourite brain break, exercise, or try this one below and enjoy the workout!
Bring in Awesome Artifacts. Have the learner bring in an object from their sports/games/family history and do a ‘show and tell’. This activity could also be achieved by the student doing a fun video at home with an adult about their sports history, or creating a photo collage of an object[s] with a quick interpretive story/video. [Tip: set a goal of under three minutes].
See video
Be sure to complete at least one activity in each of the five pillars to maximize your students' learning experience.
Play “I Just met a Goal”. Have the learner stand and ask them to touch four walls and three colours of the Games. They then high-five two classmates, and return to their standing spot and cheer, “I just met a goal!”
As a class, review what a ‘goal’ is and then have students complete one or more goals each day, week and month:
1. Today [ex: stand and walk around the room and say ‘Hello’ to each classmate, in under two minutes and return to spot]
2. This week [ex: stand up in a quiet line for physical education and music in under a minute each time you attend one of these classes]
3. This month [ex: with three classmates, create a piece of sports art and put it on display]. See the pictograms attached for a sample of these sports.
2025 Canada Games Sports and Pictograms
Watch the two-minute teamwork and leadership cartoon, then set and work to achieve a class or individual goal like a 2025 Canada Games team. This can include:
• a physical goal like all standing on one foot for 30 seconds;
• a leadership goal like a class set a goal to do 20 jumping jacks;
• recycle or clean up the school yard or help friends complete a task.
Create an image of the learner achieving a big life goal, such as scoring or winning a 2025 Canada Games medal! Use this worksheet to draw the image.
Set a goal to learn the Clapping game with a partner and/or the class, and then share with the class.
Draw/print a motivational poster and have the learner add in any of the catchphrases outlined here. Use the poster to encourage an athlete to have fun competing in the 2025 Canada Games! The learner could also trace their own hand like it is waving, draw a place where a summer sport is played, or use the template of Gusty in designing their greeting.
Be sure to complete at least one activity in each of the five pillars to maximize your students' learning experience.
Show the learner links to fun pictures of fruits and veggies.
Make a class list of favourite fruits and veggies/meals that everyone likes to eat before playing games, and discuss the benefits of eating healthy. Next, the learner draws their favourite fruit or veggie and turns it into a ball or piece of summer sports equipment. Do not forget to give it a fun name and create a sport where it is used in a game. Example here: Fruit and Vegetable Heads.
Play this informative video for the class. Then the learner tries a new food and tells the class about it in a ‘food and tell’.
Host a class jersey day (anything with a number or school or team apparel).
Create a class collage of the 2025 Canada Games sports! See example links: Summer sports and 2025 Canada Games sports and pictograms. Ask the learner to create a pictogram of an athlete in action including a background, venue and audience.
Ask the learner to draw their favourite food to make a class collage.
Be sure to complete at least one activity in each of the five pillars to maximize your students' learning experience.
Watch the Cross Canada Tour Video and discuss Canada's various languages and locations.
Visit the Being Bilingual Video and have the class discuss what it means to speak two languages. Discuss what might be some of the benefits and challenges.
Create a bilingual visitor map of your school including 10 key places around it (Ex. Playground, gymnasium, cafeteria, library) so that an athlete visiting from another province would be able to tour the school with ease.
Create a class collage of the 2025 Canada Games sports! See example links: Summer sports and 2025 Canada Games sports and pictograms. Ask the learner to create a pictogram of an athlete in action including a background, venue and audience.
Complete the Hello! video to learn various French and English greetings. Draw a new picture that could be used for one of the greetings around venues or use the outline of Gusty to save a step.
Activity sheet: Hello / Bonjour and outline of Gusty with speech bubble doc
Be sure to complete at least one activity in each of the five pillars to maximize your students' learning experience.
Look at the map of Canada nd find ten unique names of communities across Canada including your own town, an Indigenous community, and the location of the 2025 Canada Games. Create a class video saying fun place names and name which one in Canada is the class favourite. (Example: Joe Batts Arm, NL)
Host a class discussion about the learners favourite sport. Name and describe three ways we can express our love and unity for Canada through sport and the 2025 Canada Games.
Learn an Indigenous game through this link Indigenous games list and instructions.
Watch The Hockey Jersey (note: although hockey is a winter sport the theme of this book is focussed on diversity and inclusion).
Follow up activities:
• Hockey Jersey Educators Guide
• Print and decorate a blank jersey-have students design their own for a 2025 Canada Games sport.
• Choose your favourite sport from the selection of 2025 Canada Games pictograms and try drawing it.
Be sure to complete at least one activity in each of the five pillars to maximize your students' learning experience.
By completing the suggested above activities, you complete the curriculum
outcomes described in this document.